UK & International
Kennedys
A global insurance and litigation specialist whose Hong Kong office — its first outside the UK — recruits trainees through a summer vacation scheme and direct training contract applications that stay open until the seats are filled.
- Category
- UK & International
- HK presence
- Since 2000 — Kennedys' first international office; 9 partners, 70+ people
- Route in
- Summer Vacation Scheme (June & July) or direct training contract application
- HK strengths
- Insurance & reinsurance, litigation, healthcare, financial lines, regulatory
The Hong Kong practice
What does Kennedys' Hong Kong office actually do?
Kennedys is a disputes firm built around the insurance industry, and Hong Kong is where that model went international first: the office opened in 2000 as the firm's first outside the UK and now runs at 9 partners and more than 70 people. The firm describes itself as one of the leading litigation practices in the city, and Chambers Greater China Region 2025 quotes clients praising its "excellent reputation across both contentious and non-contentious insurance" Source ↗.
The work splits across insurance and reinsurance claims — professional indemnity, directors' and officers', financial institutions, cyber, medical malpractice, aviation, casualty, construction — plus healthcare and medical negligence defence, financial services regulatory and compliance, and a corporate and commercial team. Clients are mostly insurers, reinsurers, underwriters and brokers, along with corporates and high-net-worth individuals.
That client base changes what a trainee actually does. Instead of proofreading a prospectus, you are more likely to be researching liability, drafting advice on a claim, and attending mediations, negotiations and court hearings — the firm's own trainee page promises exactly that mix. If you want to be a litigator rather than a transactional lawyer, this is one of the most honest routes to it in Hong Kong.
Trainee & vacation scheme programme
How do you get into Kennedys Hong Kong?
Two doors, both published on the firm's Hong Kong trainees page. The Summer Vacation Scheme ran in June and July 2026 for candidates eligible for a 2028 training contract, with applications open from 1 November 2025 to 31 March 2026. The Training Contract 2028 takes direct applications from 1 November 2025 until all positions are filled — a genuinely open door, but one that closes without notice.
- Route inSummer Vacation Scheme (June & July) for TC-2028-eligible candidates, or a direct training contract application. Both start with the online application.
- Key datesLast cycle: scheme applications 1 November 2025 – 31 March 2026; Training Contract 2028 applications open from 1 November 2025 until filled. Interviews run mid-January to March.
- AcademicsA 2.1 degree in law or equivalent, achieved or on course, and the PCLL completed and passed on the first attempt before the training contract begins.
- LanguagesAn excellent command of English and Chinese, plus strong interpersonal skills.
- The contractFour six-month seats guaranteeing exposure to at least three of: Liability Defence, Healthcare, Financial Lines, Commercial Disputes & Regulatory, and Corporate & Commercial.
- SupportEach trainee gets a mentor plus a Partner acting as Principal, workplace training, in-house seminars and the firm's global online learning platform.
Watch out
"Open until all positions are filled" is not a deadline — it is a race. The interview window opens mid-January, so applications lodged in November and December get first look at a fixed number of seats. Track every window on the Elite Pathfinder deadline tracker.
Recent moves worth knowing
What has Kennedys' Hong Kong office been doing recently?
Insurance litigators rarely publicise individual claims — confidentiality is the product — so the public record shows strategy through hires. Two recent moves tell you exactly where the office is investing.
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Wilson Fung joins to expand disputes and regulatoryMay 2025
Kennedys hired the Johnson Stokes & Master partner — a specialist in SFC investigations, financial services regulatory disputes and banking litigation — to grow its Hong Kong commercial disputes and regulatory bench. Announcing the hire, the firm noted the office was marking 25 years as Kennedys' first international office. Source ↗
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Emily Duncan rejoins as employment law lead counselMay 2026
The former Macquarie Group regional employee relations lead returned to Kennedys as lead counsel for employment law in the Hong Kong corporate and commercial team — her second stint at the firm, after building Gall's employment practice earlier in her career. Source ↗
Insider tip
Insurance is commercial awareness most candidates skip: premiums, claims inflation, D&O exposure after a market downturn. Being the applicant who can talk about the insurance market — not just IPOs — is a genuine differentiator here. Our commercial awareness guide shows the framework, and the Weekly News Digest keeps it current week by week.
Interview & selection intel
What does the Kennedys Hong Kong selection process look like?
Three published stages. Stage one: the online application. Stage two: an interview process that opens mid-January and runs to March each year, involving written assessments and two rounds of interviews with Of Counsels and Partners. Stage three: successful candidates are contacted with an offer.
The written assessments are the stage most candidates underestimate. A litigation-led firm that demands an excellent command of English and Chinese is testing whether you can write precisely under time pressure — treat it as a drafting exam, not a formality. Knowing how firms mark case studies tells you what the marker is actually scoring.
Two interview rounds with Of Counsels and Partners means senior litigators will probe how you think on your feet. Expect scenario questions around disputes and claims, and be ready to explain why insurance litigation rather than a corporate seat at a deal firm — the firm's five named practice areas make that an easy question for them to ask and a costly one to fumble. Our guide to the Hong Kong vacation scheme interview walks through senior-lawyer interviews like these.
How to stand out
How do you stand out for Kennedys Hong Kong?
Kennedys asks for "high-performing and energetic law students with an interest in our core practice areas" — the filter is the second half of that sentence. Prove the interest is real and specific, and you are ahead of the majority who apply with a generic disputes paragraph.
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1Applications open in November and interviews start mid-January, with TC seats filling on a first-come basis — so a strong early application beats a perfect late one. Build it around the five core practice areas, not "litigation" in the abstract, and sanity-check it against the top mistakes on HK applications. The Law Firm Application Academy drills the written craft.
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2Written assessments plus two senior-lawyer interview rounds reward structured, case-style thinking about claims and liability. Practise on real problems in the Online Case Study Centre, then simulate the full sequence in the Mock Assessment Centre before you sit the real one.
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3The PCLL-first-attempt rule and the English-and-Chinese bar mean the firm is screening for consistency under pressure, not flashes of brilliance. If your interview performance wobbles when partners push back, one-to-one coaching fixes that faster than more solo prep.
Quick answers
Kennedys Hong Kong, in five questions
Does Kennedys run a vacation scheme in Hong Kong?
Yes. Kennedys ran its Summer Vacation Scheme 2026 in June and July, for candidates eligible for a training contract in 2028. In the last published cycle, applications opened on 1 November 2025 and closed on 31 March 2026.
How do you get a training contract at Kennedys Hong Kong?
You can apply for the training contract directly — Training Contract 2028 applications opened on 1 November 2025 and stay open until all positions are filled — or come through the summer vacation scheme. Either way, the interview process runs from mid-January to March and involves written assessments plus two rounds of interviews with Of Counsels and Partners.
What does Kennedys Hong Kong ask for in applicants?
A 2.1 degree in law or equivalent, achieved or on course; the PCLL completed and passed on your first attempt before the training contract starts; an excellent command of English and Chinese; and strong interpersonal skills.
What does the Kennedys Hong Kong training contract look like?
Four six-month seats over two years, covering at least three of the firm's five core areas: Liability Defence, Healthcare, Financial Lines, Commercial Disputes and Regulatory, and Corporate and Commercial. Each trainee is allocated a mentor and a Partner who acts as their Principal.
What is Kennedys' Hong Kong office known for?
Insurance and litigation. Established in 2000 as Kennedys' first international office, it has grown to 9 partners and more than 70 people, and is widely known as one of the leading litigation firms in Hong Kong, spanning insurance and reinsurance, healthcare and medical negligence, financial services regulatory and corporate and commercial work.